It's Maia There's something wrong with her
by NotAnotherBook
Summary: Set after City of Lost Souls: Ever since the battle with the dark shadowhunters, there's been something wrong with Maia. Only now is the full effect of the battle beginning to show, along with a terrifying truth that could threaten the entire werewolf population. Story is better than summary!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Mortal Instruments.  
First story – constructive criticism welcome, let me know if I should continue the story!

Chapter 1: You have reached a now frustrated warlock

Jordan's hands shook as he dialled Magnus Bane's number on his mobile. As he waited for Magnus to pick up, he felt yet another bead of sweat run down his temple.  
'You have reached a now frustrated warlock – how may I help?' Magnus answered, his tone reflecting the annoyance he clearly felt.  
'Magnus, its Jordan' he replied hastily – he had no time for games.  
'Ah, Jordan, what brings you to interrupt a warlocks alone time with his beautiful boyfriend?' At this reply, Jordan could hear stifled giggles through the phone. However, any unwanted images were prevented from entering his mind by the sound of Maia retching in another room.  
'Magnus, its Maia. There's something wrong with her. She's been quiet since the night of the battle, but I thought she was grieving for the pack members she lost – but she's sick Magnus, she's really sick. I need your help. I don't know what to do -.' Jordan could feel desperation leaking into his voice as he explained what was happening to Magnus.  
'I'm on my way now. Stay with her, Jordan' Magnus replied, all joking aside. The phone clicked off.

Jordan dropped the phone and rushed along the corridor of his and Simon's apartment to the bathroom. During the time he had been calling Magnus, she had gotten worse.  
'Shit, Maia...' he let slip as he worked his way round pools of black-green vomit to reach Maia, who was leaning on the side of the bathtub. Her skin had taken on a ghostly pallor and her eyes a disturbing dark sheen. Jordan tried to ignore the worry planted in his stomach as he gently mopped at Maia's face, ignore her resistance.  
'Jordan, please, I don't want you to see me like this.' That was what scared Jordan the most. Not the poisonous liquid that seemed to be buried deep within her, or the unnatural, demon-like shade her eyes had adopted: it was the sound of defeat in Maia's voice that terrified Jordan. This was not his Maia; his Maia was strong and determined. This Maia had already given up.  
'Shhh, Maia, its ok. It's going to be ok.' Jordan murmured tenderly before planting a kiss on her forehead.

A few seconds later, Magnus appeared in the doorway. He must have portaled here. One look at his reaction confirmed Jordan's fears. He swallowed as quietly as he could, trying to keep the familiar taste of bile at bay. Magnus stayed put but sunk to his knees to reach Maia's eye level.  
'Maia, look at me.' She obeyed.  
'Do you know if there is any way the dark shadowhunter's blood could have got into your system?' Magnus asked, spelling the words out slowly to a barely conscious Maia. She didn't reply, but locked her gaze with Magnus'. They seemed to be having a silent argument – one that, Jordan felt, was not intended to involve him. Before Maia looked away from Magnus, she glanced very quickly at her stomach. Not quickly enough for Jordan not to notice the dark patch of material covering the area she caught with her eye. Instinctively, Jordan reached out and pulled up Maia's top to expose her stomach. What was normally a gesture associated with love and passion took on a whole new meaning when it revealed what appeared to be a relatively small gash surrounded by black pus and scab. Jordan could feel the heat radiating off the severely inflamed injury. Magnus' breath caught in his throat momentarily.

Magnus shuffled closer to Maia – attempting to avoid the pools of vomit that patterned the floor –and grabbed at her right wrist. He turned it over and, using his fingernail, etched a rune onto her bare skin.  
'Before you protest, male werewolf, this is not a rune drawn with a stele, therefore there are no seraphic alliances. Basically, it won't kill your girlfriend. It should ease the pain' Magnus said plainly. After he had finished, Jordan bundled Maia into his arms and carried her to his double bed. He laid her unconscious figure on top of the sheets and left for the living room. When he reached it, Magnus was perched on the edge of one of the sofas, a grave look upon his face.  
'What is it, Magnus? What's wrong with her?' Jordan asked, not even attempting to hide the fear from his voice.  
'To summarise, what Maia has suffered is rare but deadly. Upon receiving the wound on her stomach, some of the dark shadow hunter's blood has entered her body. What happened to the shadowhunters as they drunk Lilith's blood is happening to Maia, as Lilith's blood courses through the veins of the dark shadowhunters. However, because Maia is a werewolf, it is a mutated form of the change. Jordan, it could change Maia into a demon.' Magnus explained quietly as Jordan's face twisted in horror at what he was saying.  
'Another worrying prospect is that other werewolves may have had contact with the dark shadowhunters blood the same way Maia has. This could begin a new breed of demonic werewolves – nigh on impossible to kill.' Magnus continued, although Jordan was barely listening now.  
'We h-have to do something. I can't-Maia, I can't lose her' Jordan managed through ragged breaths. Magnus' reply was cut short.  
It was Maia. She was screaming.


	2. Chapter 2

Keep the reviews coming in – I love to hear what you think of my writing!

Chapter 2: Taki's for breakfast

'Let me get this straight', Clary spoke slowly, evidently taking the time to structure her sentence properly to minimise the offense caused to Simon, who was sat opposite her on a bench in Central Park. 'Isabel openly asked you to go to Taki's with her, on a _date_, to which you agreed – and you're still, y'know, alive?'  
'Clary, how many times have we gone through this? I'm not-' Simon began.  
'Yes, you're technically dead, blah blah blah' Clary interrupted sarcastically, 'But considering you just had an encounter with Isabel, on a _morning_, I'd consider your current state to be alive enough' she finished.  
Simon studied Clary subtly. Since getting Jace back – the real Jace – she had changed. She was still the same old Clary, but her emerald eyes had brightened, her skin had taken on a glow again and there were pink smudges over the apple of her cheeks. Simon hadn't seen her looking so content in a long time. Part of him felt sad that he wasn't the cause of this, but he tried to push these feelings aside. As always, they were replaced by thoughts of Isabel. There meeting at Taki's had turned into slightly more than breakfast – unless breakfast entails making out after first course. Simon still hadn't fully shaken off the thrill that being with Isabel gave him. His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed Clary was waving her hand a few centimetres from his face, in front of his eyes.  
'Simon? Helloooo?' Clary said in a slightly irritated tone.  
'Sorry, I was- the date with Isabel was great, thanks' he replied, wanting to say nothing more than an answer to the first question Clary had asked. Clary didn't say anything, just looked at Simon suspiciously. After a few moments, she opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by her phone, which began buzzing where it was sat on the table. Clary picked it up and read the message that had just come through.  
'It's Jace; he said we should meet him at yours and Jordan's apartment. Apparently it's urgent' Clary said, a tinge of worry decorating her voice. Neither of them needed to say anything. They got up and left for the apartment straight away.

Simon and Clary arrived at the apartment about ten minutes later. Jace was leaning on the wall next to the door of the apartment. He was alone. Clary took her time as she walked up to him to marvel in his beauty: the golden curl of his hair, the same golden shadow in his eyes and the angle of his jaw...  
'Hey Jace, what's going on? Where are Alec and Izzie?' Clary asked, staring straight into his eyes where she stood in front of him.  
'They both bunked. Izzie said she wouldn't be any help and Alec didn't want to come because of Magnus' he replied plainly, meeting her gaze. Clary had forgotten about Alec and Magnus' dramatic breakup. Things were still sore, clearly.  
'What's Magnus doing here?' Clary asked, letting a little more worry colour her tone. Where Magnus was needed, things were often serious.  
'I don't know, I just got a call from him from Jordan's phone saying we were needed. C'mon, let's go' he finished, squeezing Clary's hand as he walked into the apartment. She still wasn't used to his touch – he generally refrained from touching her because of the slight problem of the burning sensation anyone he touched received. But that only made his touch more special. She followed him into the apartment, and she was followed by Simon.

The first thing that hit Clary when she entered the apartment, and clearly Jace and Simon by the expressions on their faces was the smell. The room was filled with an acrid scent that made Clary want to gag. She noticed Magnus and Jordan sat on the sofa at the other side of the room. Jordan was looking extremely worried, his eyes darting all over the place. Magnus looked worried also, which downright scared Clary. Magnus was _never _worried. Magnus and Jordan noticed them enter and both stood up. Jordan looked to Magnus, as if urging him to speak – Jordan looked pretty unable to speak.  
'Jace, Clary, vampire, we have a situation. During the battle with the dark shadowhunters, Maia – and possibly other werewolves – came into contact with some of their blood; it entered her system through a cut. I believe that the dark blood is reacting with her blood similarly to the way the dark blood would react to a shadowhunters blood – it is trying to change her. However, since she is a werewolf, the reaction is mutated and it appears that this reaction is changing her into a demon.' At this Clary's breath caught in her throat, but Magnus continued.  
'I've never seen this before and I have no idea how to fix it, but if it isn't fixed a new breed of demonic werewolves could evolve which would be impossible to defeat.' There was clearly nothing more to say, so Magnus sat down and resumed his thinking pose. Jordan took this as a chance to speak.  
'Maia screamed earlier, i-it sounded like nothing I've ever heard, I ran through to my room and she was convulsing on the bed, h-her eyes kept going black and her skin started going a weird grey colour, then it just stopped and she was unconscious' Jordan stuttered. Despite her mixed feelings towards Maia, she was heartbroken. Maia, who'd been through so much in her life, didn't deserve this.  
'We'll figure out what to do Jordan. We'll save her' Clary comforted him, although she knew she didn't sound convincing. Jace, who'd been relatively quiet until now, piped up wearily. 'We need to get the infected blood out of her without killing her, or anything else, for that matter. But I don't see _how _we do that_'_.  
'What about me?' Simon murmured. He was looking straight at Jace, trying to ignore the horror in Clary's eyes.  
'NO! Simon, the blood, it's infected, it could kill you, it could mutate you, you can't!' Clary shouted at him.  
'I owe it to her, to Maia' he replied quietly – he marched towards the bedroom, closely followed by Clary and Jace.  
He didn't reach the bedroom however, because of the huge demon that stood in the doorway.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry about the delay, please keep commenting and let me know if I should continue! I won't be able to update for a while as I'm going away but I'll update when I can!

Chapter 3: Later, perhaps?

This demon was something else. It was enormous, rising to the ceiling and filling most of corridor and it had strange skin, which looked almost as if it was scalded. The most frightening part was its face. Huge, black, bulbous eyes took up most of it and the rest was a gaping mouth filled with row upon row of razor sharp teeth. Simon noticed that the creature's claws were about as sharp as its teeth as it took a swing at him. He tried to move, but even he couldn't get out of its way quick enough. He was knocked aside skidding along the floor in what seemed to be unconsciousness. Clary screamed and tried to rush forward to Simon's side – only to be held back by Jace, who had an iron grip on her upper arm.  
'Clary, get back, you're going to get yourself killed!' he shouted in her ear, and he thrust her backwards towards Magnus and Jordan. The demon had begun to move forwards from where it was standing and its huge feet were getting dangerously close to Simon's limp body. Clary's eyes were darting all over the place as she tried to figure out what to do. Her eyes fixed on Jace's belt, where something glinted in the lamp light: a seraph blade. Clary ran up behind Jace and took the blade out of his belt before he could protest.  
'You know, now really isn't the time to be feeling me up – later, perhaps?' he shouted as he tried to hold off the demon. Typical Jace.  
'What's its name?' Clary replied, not even acknowledging his earlier remark.  
'What?' Jace answered, clearly confused. He apparently didn't notice Clary had the blade until he turned and saw her holding it. His eyes moved up to hers. As much as Jace hated to admit it, Clary was a capable shadowhunter now, and he could see the same rush he felt when he entered battle spark in her eyes.  
'Gadriel. It's called Gadriel' he said solemnly, as if ensuring himself that this was ok.

That was all Clary needed to know. She ran forwards, shouting the blades name as she went. The monsters foot was only inches from Simon's head now. She slashed at it from behind. As she predicted, it whirled round to attempt to face her. However, as a shadowhunter, speed was most certainly on her side – she took this opportunity to grab Simon's arms and drag him to relative safety near Magnus and Jordan. Jordan, who seemed to have collected himself in the face of immediate danger, grabbed Simon and pulled him further away from the demon. Magnus however, seemed to be deep in concentration, pacing back and forth and hitting himself in the head in frustration. Jace, somehow sensing this, shouted back,' Magnus, I could use a little help here!'  
'Even if I wanted to help, which I don't, I would be no use without knowing how to kill it. None of us will be. I am trying to figure out how to kill it.' He replied calmly.  
'You don't even know what it is!' Clary chipped in, seeming equally as frustrated that he wasn't doing anything.  
'My girl, I've seen pretty much every demon out there in my time – I will remember what it is and I will tell you how to kill it. Patience!' he answered again, sounding a little less calm than last time.  
Just as Magnus returned to his pacing, the demon reared upwards and let out a curdling scream which caught everyone's attention. The demon itself seemed to shimmer and warp, as if it didn't quite exist. All of a sudden it stopped and struck out a Jace with such speed even he was knocked back. He regained his balance quickly and resumed his attack – which he carried out with much less success than before.  
'Magnus, what was that? The demon, it looked like it didn't exist and now it's faster than it was before. What's going on?' Clary observed, concerned for the first time. Normally dispatching of demons was easy, but this just got a lot harder.  
'I've got it! That's why I didn't recognize it before! Clary, I think this demon is a Cutlahj demon. They're a special sort of demon which can take on the characteristics of other demons – and sometimes downworlders and Nephilim – it sees. It saw you run faster than a normal mundane with Simon and has taken on extra speed. That's what that warping thing was. This is bad.' Magnus spat out as quickly as he could. Now that he'd said it, Clary could see what he meant. Every time Jace went to strike the demon, it blocked his blow and struck back with matched skill. The better you were at fighting, the better you made the demon. Clary was just about to call out to Jace to tell him what they now knew when the demon caught his leg with an upwards blow and knocked him to the ground. The demon closed in on Jace - who was lying on the floor, pinned down by the demons weight – with its jaws wide open. Just Clary ran forward in panic to try to help him, Jace pressed his hands on the demons grotesque form. Jace shook and a surge of energy seemed to pass through his hands to the demons body, which glowed gold and then exploded in an array of sparks. There was nothing left to suggest the demon was even a threat.

Jace looked at his hands – which were still glowing slightly – and then to Clary, who was staring at him with her mouth open, eyes wide. It took a while for them both to notice that Jordan was shouting frantically. When they both clicked back into reality, they heard his words as clear as crystal, and Clary felt the dropping sensation of absolute realisation she knew all too well.  
'Maia's gone, she's not in the bed' Jordan said, almost wailed, as he fell to his knees.  
'What if that was her?'


	4. Chapter 4

I'm thinking about drawing it to a close soon – let me know what you think! I really appreciate all your comments!

Chapter 4: I must really like you folk

Jace, who never really felt anything when Clary wasn't involved, felt sick and dizzy. What Jordan had just said was still sinking in. Although Jace had always felt indifferent towards Jordan, now he felt a strong sense of pity for the boy who was kneeling in front of him with his head in his hands. He knew it was because he could understand how Jordan felt – if it was Clary who was missing, possibly dead, Jace would be in the same state as Jordan. Everything Jace knew revolved around Clary. She was all that mattered to him, the reason he could stand himself. As he thought this, he noticed her speaking to Simon. He could tell by the set of her jaw and the slight crease in her eyebrows that they were disagreeing about something. Snapping back into focus, he listened to what they were arguing about.  
'We don't know that was her, she might have seen the demon and jumped out of the window or something, to escape. We're not that high up and she's a werewolf, she could handle the drop. We've got to look for her' Simon said. He sounded more frustrated than upset. Jace imagined that was because Simon had missed his chance to make things right with Maia. Ever since the situation involving Simon, Maia and Isabel had occurred, she'd been cold with him. Not hostile – that wasn't Maia's way, but cold. Jace guessed Simon wasn't used to people disliking him – generally he wasn't an asshole. Simon was cut off by Clary before he could continue.  
'I know, Simon. But we've got to look at this both ways. If that wasn't Maia, which I hope to God is true, then there could be more demons waiting to attack, in which case we need to plan our next move a little more carefully. I know what Jace did seemed to do a pretty good job, but that wasn't supposed to happen and I'm sure the Clave won't appreciate him using his... situation... in that way. If it was, then we need to let Luke know what's going on, and organise a search. First we need to see which one is more likely the case' she said diplomatically. Jace was surprised at how calm she seemed and was pretty impressed. He caught her eye and in her glance he saw that her eyes still held the sparkle that indicated the thrill of battle, but it was slowly being replaced by a depth of concern and care that was so like Clary it made Jace feel warm with the feeling of belonging.  
'I agree with Clary – let's go and check out the bedroom, see what happened in there' Jace stated, not breaking his eye contact with Clary. Nothing further was said – Simon, Clary and Jace strode into the bedroom, leaving Jordan in Magnus' hands as he tried to calm him down.

The bedroom was a wreck. The sheets on the bed were tangled and stained with drops of black demon blood and red human blood. The furniture in the room was scattered all over the floor. To their mutual relief, the window was wide open, the curtains lightly blowing in the fume stained breeze that swept through the city. Poor Maia, Jace thought. This certainly wasn't the first time she'd had to climb out of a window to escape. Jace had had an awful childhood, but Maia's came close.  
'I bet she climbed out of the window, the demon wouldn't have opened it' Simon said, a little relief detectable in his voice.  
'I hope to God that she did. Clary, find Luke and tell him what's going on. Get him to start a search. Simon, Magnus, Jordan and I will start looking for her. Meet us at 2 at Central park with Luke so we can update' Jace listed. He knew Clary could see him working out what to do as he said it. He thought she might disagree, but she didn't. She left the room without a word, dialling Luke's number on her mobile as she went.

Jace returned to the living room area, closely followed by Simon. He saw that Jordan had regained some of his composure as he was sat on the sofa rather than sprawled on the floor. Still, he was restless and clearly seriously worried. Jace went over to where Jordan was sat on the sofa and knelt in front of him.  
'You might not believe me, but I know how you feel right now. Angry, scared. I know. But you've got to keep it together; because that's the only way you're going to have a chance of getting her back. We're going to go and look for her. We're going to try and get her back. Can you do this?' he said under his breath, to keep the others from listening. Jordan didn't say anything, just nodded, ensuring himself as well as Jace. They both stood up, and Jace turned to face him and the others, 'We'll stick together in case there's another attack, but I think we should follow the route back to the pack's headquarters. That's the most likely place she'll have gone' he instructed. Shortly after a mutual agreement, they all left to begin the search. The last thing Jace heard before they got into the open air was Magnus. Although quite, he heard what Magnus said clearly enough:  
'I must really like you folk'.


	5. Chapter 5

Ok, this is the penultimate chapter which is why it's shorter than the others so far. Be prepared for a shocking final chapter! Thank you so much for all your comments, follows, favourites and reviews so far – I love hearing what you think and they have spurred me to continue writing more stories. Please keep on commenting and reviewing – I love to know what you think of my writing!

Chapter 5: I felt something

Clary arrived at the institute about twenty minutes after she left the apartment. Luke was already there, which wasn't surprising. He was leaning against the fence outlining the courtyard of the institute, looking down at his shoes. He must have heard Clary approach because he looked up, saw her walking towards him and pushed himself up off the fence to face her.  
'I let the pack know about what's going on. They're searching the whole of Manhattan in groups for her. Where are the others?' he asked. There was no time for formalities and besides, it was hardly like they needed them – he was her father, practically.  
'Jace and the others are out looking for her too, Jace said to meet them at 2 at Central park. I guess we should let Izzy and Alec know what's going on, and then look ourselves?' she replied. Luke always knew what to do in these sorts of situations. It was sad really, that he had to think in such ways so much when he was such a good man. That was part of being a werewolf, she guessed. Especially a werewolf that used to be a shadowhunter.  
'Sounds like a plan – call Izzy while we're on the move' Luke told her as he set off walking away from the institute. Clearly he had no direction in mind, but Clary felt sorry for him – the bond between pack members was closer than family and Luke was clearly concerned for Maia. Just as Clary got retrieved her phone from her pocket, it started ringing. Puzzled, she answered it and brought it to her ear.  
'Hello?' she answered.  
'Clary, its Jace, get to Central park now. We've found her' he replied. Clary could tell by the tone of his voice that this wasn't necessarily a good thing. A shiver spread through her body as Clary thought about what state Maia could be in and the state Jordan would be in for that matter. Clary could tell just by the way he looked at her, by the way he said her name, that he loved her more than life itself. If he lost her, she didn't think he'd be able to live with himself.  
'Luke! They've found Maia in central park! We need to get there now!' Clary shouted to Luke, who was still marching down the street. He turned to listen to what she was saying, and then began to run in the direction of Central park. It wasn't that far from the Institute, and it would probably be quicker to run there than get a cab. Clary followed.

Luke and Clary both arrived about 5 minutes later. In the rush of finding Maia, she'd forgotten to call Izzy. That didn't matter now. Nothing mattered, other than the scene before her.

Jordan was crouched on the floor, with the head of a very limp Maia resting on his lap. He had his head burrowed into her neck, and was sobbing, his body racked with shudders that only ran through a man's body when their whole world had ended.

Simon, Jace and Magnus were stood a few paces behind Jordan, silently watching, praying that a miracle would happen and Maia could be saved. Clary walked to join them, along with Luke – who she could see was devastated as well. Just as she reached Jace to put her hand out to him, she noticed that Jordan had stopped sobbing so violently. Jordan turned to face the group, frantically shouting, 'I felt something, she moved, I swear she did! I f-felt something!


	6. Chapter 6

I know this is a little late, and I'm so sorry it took so long, but with college work I've had no time to even think about this story, let alone write anything. Like I previously said, this is the final chapter for this story but it won't be my last, even if it takes a little longer for me to update whatever I write in the future. Again, thank you so much for taking the time to read my story!

Chapter 6: Purpose

When Jordan turned back to face Maia, he found himself looking straight into her hazel eyes. They held all the love and affection she felt towards him, and his eyes mirrored her feelings exactly. Maia began to raise her head – but was knocked back down to Jordan's lap, where she wretched and brought up something that looked almost as if it were alive. Magnus proceeded to investigate the ichor, and was followed by Jace, who didn't need to get more than 10 yards towards it before pronouncing, 'Whatever that it, it's got demon energies coming out the wazoo'. Trust Jace to joke at a time like this, Clary thought – although she could see from the crease of his brow he was as concerned for Maia as the rest of them. Magnus, with a puzzled look on his face, replied, 'Yes, you're right there, but there's something else... something very lupine about it, too'.

At this, Luke's eyes snapped to Magnus from where he'd been focused on Maia, assessing her injuries from a distance. He walked over to where Magnus was knelt. 'Surely that'll just be the scent coming from her blood', he proposed. Magnus, however, was adamant: 'No, not that, there's something else'. At that moment, Maia cried out, but differently from how she had before. This didn't sound like a physical pain. It came from within, as if the pain was from _loss._ Jordan was first to react, 'what is it, Maia? What's wrong?' he implored. His fingers brushed over her face, from the cuts to the creases from her frown. Clary had never thought a werewolf could be so delicate, and instantly felt guilty for doing so. All Maia could reply was: 'it's gone', before her body again was wracked with shudders.

Luke thought he'd never seen a werewolf go through anything more horrific: not even on the battlefield. Here Maia was lying, convulsing, one moment a helpless girl with pain etched into her innocent features, next a werewolf, still elegant and magnificent even when shrouded in distress. He knew how it felt in the moment between human and werewolf – like you were shedding not layers of clothes, but layer of skin, of humanity, of feelings. It was hard to get used to, and the feeling of the loss of control still pinched his stomach with anxiety. Jordan was knelt a metre away, the same look of horror written in his eyes as he watched, helpless. With that, they waited. There was nothing they could do.

It took Maia 3 hours to stop convulsing. As it was getting dark, the 5 of them managed to get Maia into the back of the truck that Simon had driven round and take her back to the apartment. They lay her on the bed, still convulsing, and waited. Once the sound of the shudders and the shifts subsided, Jordan, Luke and Clary rushed to her bedside, leaving Jace to make his excuses to inform Alec and Izzy of what had happened and Simon to clean up. Later, he would be glad he hadn't been at her bedside when she woke.

Jordan was the first thing Maia saw when she opened her eyes. She saw his face, a picture of concern mixed with joy that she was actually able to open her eyes. It wasn't long before it morphed into shock. She knew why. 'Hand me a mirror' she ordered no one in particular. When no one moved, she added – not able to keep all of the heartbreak out of her voice – 'please'. Clary got up silently and went to the bathroom to fetch one. When she returned and handed it to Maia, she still wasn't prepared for what greeted her.

The first thought Jordan had was that they were beautiful. Maia's eyes, shrouded in there piercing, werewolf form still held a soft warmth for him. He knew that Maia's first sight of them held the same thought – not of beauty, but of awe at their sharp, fearsome glare. The thought, however, was not long lasting. The next time he caught sight of her eyes, they were filled with tears.

It was impossible, she told herself. It's never happened before. It can't happen. She tried to convince herself, but it didn't work. She felt it: the way her vision was slightly more blurred, the way her movement to pick up the mirror were slower, less graceful, the way she could no longer smell each element to the airs scent. She was no longer a werewolf. The other half of herself, the part that had no knowledge of the sidewalks of Manhattan, of the rush of the city – only the feeling of paws sinking into dirt, of the smell of the trees and of blood, always blood – it was gone. The only memory of that side of her was left in her eyes – a cruel reminder of what she was no longer. It sickened her, both the fact that she was no longer a werewolf and the fact she felt torn apart because of it. To be a werewolf was to have no control, but it was to be strong. It gave her a purpose, something she was designed to do. Now it was gone, and so was she, lost in a void of heartbreak.

Maia said nothing. She got up, and walked out and for once, Jordan did not follow. He knew in the way she walked, her expression, that wherever she was going, she did not want to be followed. It was a look that scared him more than anything else had in his life.

It was 2 months until they saw her again, and what they found was not what had left them.


End file.
